Establishment of blood purification system for rats

Objective To establish blood purification system for rats and provide a safe and reliable experimental platform for further research of blood purification. Methods The right carotid artery and the contralateral jugular vein of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were cannulated to creat vascular access for blood purification, by which continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration blood purification system was established. Blood flow, substitution fluid flow and ultrafiltration rate were regulated by rotary mini - pumps. Blood purification therapy continued for 4 hours on the basis of maintained anesthesia and effective anticoagulation. The safety of continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration blood purification systems was evaluated by comparing the arterial blood gas, electrolyte indexes and blood glucose during the blood purification therapy. Closely monitoring the vital signs of rats, such as blood pressure and heart rate, and observing whether there were any side effects, such as massive haemorrhage, thrombogenesis and gas embolism in the therapeutic process. Results There were no obvious changes of arterial blood gas, electrolyte indexes and blood glucose during the blood purification therapy (P >0.05). The vital signs did not fluctuate acutely before and after the blood purification therapy (P >0.05). The incidence rate of side effects was very low. Conclusions Continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration blood purification system had no obvious adverse effects on healthy rats. Our blood purification system for rats appears to be safe and reliable. Key words: Models, animal; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Hemofiltration; Blood purification